Siam: Or the Woman Who Shot a Man

by Lily Tuck

Book Overview

The Boston-born wife of a government contractor based in Bangkok, Thailand, Claire finds her life turned upside down by the disappearance of Jim Thompson, the famous American entrepreneur she meets a local dinner party, in a story of intrigue, lost innocence, and tragedy set during the early years o

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452282063
• ISBN13: 9780452282063
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Graham Greene from the woman's point of view

A caucasian woman inserted into a Far East society who is left by her husband to figure out her own purpose and identity. Well written and a fast read. In the steps of Patricia Highsmith.

I liked it!

Although somewhat hard to find, this book is well worth the effort- It's an engaging piece about life in the Sixties that doesn't revolve around the American "Free Love" Era. Instead, it focuses on the tremendous influence America had in Thailand and the pathetic ignorance of the Americans who were there to "help" during this time. As Claire takes us around the Thailand she knows, she gives us a little bit of history and a LOT of first hand observations, which allow us to form our own opinions and conclusions. This isn't a mystery or a travelogue, but, instead, is a facinating look at the personal reflections and interactions of a single person who is wise enough to open her eyes and take it all in. Let the reader/listener interpret it for themselves . . . and, just maybe, be a little sad to see Claire get on the plane bound for home, with so much still to see.

Enjoy this sensational novel!

"Siam" captures Bangkok, history, and an excellent personal narrative within a sharply written novel, offering more than most written these days. Lily Tuck masterfully reveals the a surreal, beautiful city of Bangkok through the character of Claire, a woman whose experiences with a new culture and a new husband provide "Siam" with a rich, vivid, intriguing story. Claire's fascination with the real-life character of Jim Thompson creates wonderful symbolism with multitudes of meaning, ranging from the personal trials of a woman in a new land to the dangerous involvement of America in Southeast Asia. Tuck's swift, elegant, evocative writing perfectly reflects a human and a city on the edge of devastation.

Haunting and evocative

Lily Tuck's third novel is a gem. There is no need to compare her writing to that of anyone else as her style stands on its own, evocative and elegant. Set in Bangkok in the 60's, Lily Tuck has created an authentic and piercing look at the internal and external atmosphere of the times, when many young women married because it was "expected," without any idea, really, of who they were or what they wanted, without any idea of what marriage was about (what is it about?) - blindly moving into the state of matrimony as Claire did as she moved into a foreign city, wondering and wandering, dazed and amazed, following the inexorable flow of life as it seemed to be being dished out. Anyone who lived through that time, prior to all the consciousness raising of the following decades, will instantly recognize what she so tellingly reveals. One acquiesced "for some reason," without quite knowing why; one had to mystify one's surroundings because it gave meaning to what was, in some ultimate sense, meaningless, "made up." Lily Tuck's spare writing is gorgeous. She creates an entire world with a phrase, a word. Less is more could never be more convincingly demonstrated than it is here in this book. One could draw comparisons about the debacle of American participation in SE Asia and the microcosm of Claire's newly married life in Bangkok, her inability to communicate with her well-meaning but blinkered "shooting for sport" and monkey brain eating husband, her isolation and removal from reality (whatever reality is)as a veiled aversion to America's testosterone driven need to dominate - but this might well be unfair to the novelist, not what she had in mind, who knows. Interpretations are self-serving anyway, a need to show off. This is a beautiful dreamlike novel with the mood of a memoir, a gauzy, illusive and seductive dance. Passivity can lead to strange and dire circumstances. I highly, highly recommend this book!

Through a glass darkly

Set in Thailand in the 1960's, this haunting novel describes the struggles of a young woman to understand and adapt to Thai culture while living in the equally alien American colony in Bangkok. The narrative is dreamlike and compelling. Lily Tuck gives a vivid picture of Bangkok with all its complexities and mysteries. A thoughtful and well-crafted novel that casts new light on the American presence in Southeast Asia.